Brock Boeser

With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

New coach, new expectations, but in the end, the Vancouver Canucks don’t look that much different. Vancouver finds themselves in seventh place in the Pacific Division, once again not competing for a playoff spot. The Canucks had higher expectations this year when they decided to add some veteran depth to the team in hopes it might spark their young core to play at a higher level. The team does have hope as they have a large amount of talented young prospects that aren’t too far away from joining the team over the next few years, but they must answer the question if they want to move out veteran scorer Thomas Vanek.

Contract

Vanek is currently finishing up the one-year contract he signed this offseason with Vancouver at $2MM. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

2017-18

At age 34, many teams believed that Vanek’s game may have passed him by and many of those teams chose to look elsewhere this offseason. He wasn’t signed until Sept. 1 by Vancouver, but he continues to prove that he can score in this league. He currently has 16 goals in 56 games and has impressed management to the point that they are considering re-signing him to an extension.

While Vanek has been fortunate enough to play on a line with rookie sensation Brock Boeser, the veteran has shown he can still score clutch goals and set up his teammates as well. He is quite versatile and is capable of playing anywhere in the lineup if needed. His lack of speed, however, doesn’t help him.

Season Stats

Potential Suitors

Vanek could have a number of suitors, because of the fact that he won’t be very costly. The Detroit Red Wings, who traded away Vanek at the trade deadline a year ago, only received an average prospect and a third-round pick from the Florida Panthers. So, many teams that are short on salary cap space and picks may find Vanek to be an interesting option, ranging from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Nashville Predators.

One possibility could be the Boston Bruins, who are desperate for depth on the wings. Vanek might be a good fit to join the Bruins second or even third line and provide even more offense during a playoff run. His penalty killing skills might also be helpful for Boston as well.

Likelihood Of A Trade

It’s more of a 50-50 proposition. The team could easily find a take for Vanek, but will the Canucks get true value for him? Perhaps if the team can get a second-rounder for Vanek, then it might be worth it, but at the same time, there are rumors that Daniel Sedin and his brother Henrik Sedin are considering returning for another year next season. The question then is, should they keep Vanek around for another year.

With the All-Star game one day away, many NHL fans often get more excited for the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which will be tonight. The NHL released the list of who will be participating in each of the six competitions with the winner of each receiving $25K.

Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay – A timed event that involves three skills, including Stickhandling (where a skater must control a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line), Cone Control (where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation) and Gates (where a skater must shoot or choose to guide the puck through a lighted rung of a gate).Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)John Tavares (New York Islanders)Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

Danieland Henrik Sedinare no different than any other hockey player who has played all or most of his career with the same team. Despite their age and decreased production, they would like to stay with their club – the Vancouver Canucks – for as long as they’ll have them. That’s why the report from Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston yesterday that the duo would like to return to Vancouver in 2018-19 comes as no surprise.

Yet, Daniel and Henrik are different than other players in that they are a package deal. One would expect that the twins would rather retire than split up at this point in their careers. Thus, Vancouver would not be holding on to just one long-time veteran, but two. With only 12 forwards on the ice each game, that would be a major commitment if there are worries that one or both is in serious decline. Who knows how much of a discount the Sedins would take on their current $7MM cap hits as well, making them not only a risky extension, but an expensive one.

For that reason, it makes sense that Johnston reports that the Sedins are only looking to re-sign for one more year in Vancouver. That doesn’t meant that the pair plan to retire in 2019, only that they understand the weight of the decision to bring back two 37-year-olds and that one-year deals would offer some protection for the team should their play drop off as they inch closer to their 40’s. For the Canucks, it is certainly an opportunity worth exploring. It’s been a long time since Daniel and Henrik were 100-point players and in 2017-18 they may not even be 60-point players, but they still provide immense value to a young team. After years of being core players in Vancouver, the twins have settled nicely into more of a complimentary production role and mentoring role for players like Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and Sven Baertschi. If Vancouver really can get the pair back under contract for one season to continue helping with development of their young talent and providing top-nine production, they should. They may find that they want to continue to keep them around for a year at a time to see through the rebuild process, which would truly cement the Sedins legendary status in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Canucks have been without their top center Bo Horvat since December 5th, after he suffered a broken foot/ankle and was shut down for six weeks. At the end of that game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Canucks were 14-10-4 and looking like they could potentially compete for a wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Since then, the team has gone 4-11-2 and dropped almost completely out of the playoff picture, but got some good news today.

Horvat has been medically cleared to travel and was back on the ice today, and is expected to practice with the team tomorrow. Horvat is “expected to return to the lineup soon” and the team couldn’t need him more. In the 17 games since his injury the team has scored just 41 goals, relying on Brock Boeser almost exclusively up front. Horvat’s return would make them a much more well-rounded team, and at least offer a chance to be competitive again.

Vancouver now sits with 42 points on the season, behind the struggling Edmonton Oilers for second-last in the Western Conference. Though this season may not be destined to end in a playoff spot, Horvat’s continued health and development will surely help them get there before long.

The Vancouver Canucks have been hurting for offense for quite some time. Yet despite adding veteran Thomas Vanek and rookie sensation Brock Boeser to the team’s lineup, the team is ranked 27th in the league in scoring. The Vancouver Sun’s Jason Botchford writes that the main reason is due to the defense’s inability to move the puck forward and help create offense.

Vancouver lacks a true offensive defenseman as the team seems to have little, but defensive blueliners in their rotations. The team’s top offensive defenseman is offseason acquisition Michael Del Zotto, who has 12 points this year, but Botchford says that the 27-year-old has rarely been the answer this season. The teams had hoped that third-year defenseman Ben Hutton might improve on his rookie year’s 25 points. Yet he has no goals and just six assists so far this year. Alexander Edler also has failed to improve on his offense as well.

Botchford says the team does have one possibility in AHL’s Philip Holm, who has seven goals and 19 points in 30 games this year in Utica. However, the team has not used him this year despite their need for an offensive spark. The team has a logjam of defenders and a trade deadline deal to move out Erik Gudbranson might be the best thing for the Canucks as it would allow the team to start playing the 26-year-old Holm.

The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that while he believes that San Jose Sharks might be interested in acquiring Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane at the trade deadline, there are definitely some issues with doing that. While Kane would provide the Sharks an immediate top scorer (his 35 points would make him San Jose’s top point-getter) which could offer the Sharks the depth needed to field three solid lines, there are other factors San Jose would have to consider before making a trade. The current asking price by Buffalo is a first-rounder, a top prospect and a conditional pick. The team lacks resources as they attempt to retool their franchise, so moving those three assets would be tough to do. On top of that, the team would have to have confidence to re-sign Kane to a long-term deal and would they want to do that. He has a history of concerning incidents in his past, including a recent scuffle with teammate Justin Falk. Would the team want to sign him to a seven or eight year deal?

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin is listed as doubtful, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen. Muzzin, who had played in a consecutive 281 games, broke that streak last Saturday when he missed a game against Nashville with an undisclosed injury. He is not expected to play tonight against the Ducks, but is making progress.

When healthy, Sbisa has been an effective defenseman for the Golden Knights, using his speed and mobility as a two-way option for the club. With 10 points in those 24 games, he’d almost already matched the 13 points he recorded last season in Vancouver, when he played in all 82 contests.

The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

In the next few months, we’ll start to hear more and more about the impressive prospects playing at the NCAA level and whether they’ll be turning to the professional ranks. The National Championship game will be held on April 7th, marking the last game many draft picks will play in college.

The Vancouver Canucks are keeping a close eye on one collegiate player in particular, and their director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett joined Sportsnet radio earlier today to speak about Adam Gaudette. Gaudette, 21, has been tearing up the NCAA since he debuted for Northeastern University in 2015, and has 30 points in just 20 games this season. This is his third year in school, and he’ll have a chance to sign with the Canucks or go back to finish his NCAA career in 2018-19. When asked about the chances the Canucks sign him this spring, Brackett seemed very positive:

[Gaudette’s] very excited about beginning a pro career. I think that’s a safe bet, but you know, other things have happened before. I think Adam is excited to become a Canuck.

Drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Gaudette transitioned beautifully from the USHL to college, scoring 30 points as a freshman and showing that his all-around game could hold up against players several years older than him. Now an alternate captain for Northeastern, the forward can make creative plays in the offensive zone and is responsible in his own end.

Vancouver knows first hand what kind of talent the NCAA has, as they watched Brock Boeser jump from the University of North Dakota to scoring his first NHL goal in less than 24 hours last spring. Though Gaudette isn’t expected to make the same kind of impact at the professional level, he’s certainly done everything right in his development to this point. An entry-level contract is likely waiting for him when his season is over.

In 2016-17, only 42 NHLers hit the 60-point benchmark for the season. It was the lowest total since the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season (obviously), when only Martin St. Louisnotched sixty, and down eleven from the 53 players who hit the mark two years earlier in 2014-15. However, with scoring up this season in the NHL, will the league increase it’s number of top scorers? Or will a greater depth and distribution of talent continue to limit players from reaching the high numbers of yesteryear?

As of now, with the 2017 segment of the season about to close, here are the players on pace for 60 points in 2017-18:

So there you have it. If these 77 skaters stay healthy, the 2017-18 season will easily surpass the down 2016-17 campaign could come close to doubling that number of skaters to score 60+ points, setting a new high since the last lockout in the process. Of course, health is always the main factor and the reason why players who were previously on pace for 60+ points (Jaden Schwartz, Mark Scheifele, Filip Forsberg, Logan Couture, Tyson Barrie) are currently impossible to project. They could just as easily bounce back quickly from injury and make this benchmark as they could struggle to return to health and miss it. Will all 75 of these players hit 60+ points? Probably not, though for each one that drops out, another player such as Thomas Vanek, Alex Pietrangelo, David Krejci, William Nylanderor Brent Burnscould go on a hot streak and jump right into the mix. For now, this is the the current picture in the race to 60 points.

Surprises in the current projections:

Lightning, Islanders, and Flyers stars make up the top six projected scorers, with Nikita Kucherov way ahead of everybody. Kucherov could potentially outscore talented teammates Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnsoncombined.

Tampa is joined by Vegas with six players apiece on the list; that’s two teams making up 16% of the league’s top scorers. Add in the Isles’ five players and you have three teams with a 23% share.

How about Kings veteran Dustin Brown on pace for 62 points after five straight seasons of failing to crack 40? Or rarely talked-about Bruins rookie Danton Heinen eyeing 63 points? Neither would have been anywhere near the conversation for 60+ points prior to the season.

Four rookies are on pace for 60+ points, led by the extremely impressive Brock Boeser, while Joe Thornton is amazingly the only player over 33 on the same path.

That’s the same idea that Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had when he suggested Oleksiak could potentially be “insurance against a future Ian Cole trade.” Cole has been rumored to be available since ending up a healthy scratch earlier this season, and has reportedly clashed with head coach Mike Sullivan multiple times. You’d expect Oleksiak would need to prove his worth for a while before they sent any defenseman out of town.

Amazingly, Brock Boeser might play tonight for the Vancouver Canucks. The injured forward, who had to have an MRI done on his foot to see if there was any damage after blocking a Mark Giordano shot, will take warm up with the team and see if he can go. His bone bruise is apparently something that isn’t a big worry for the Canucks, as head coach Travis Green told Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130“we’re not going to tell Brock to stop blocking shots.”